On Just in Time Learning Curves ...

The problem with learning curves and wrong turns is that you often need to jump from one to another.  When you need to get something done, it can be a bit like jumping between moving cars.

... Gotta slow your Mustang down

... Enough said

The hacker .v. Cracker debate

If you don't know the word "hacker" is in dispute you are normal. Normal as in not a hint of geekiness, nerdiness, wierdness or any otherness . And you've been lucky. Not because you're normal but because you missed this debate.

Basically, there are two schools about this word.

Old school: A creative person that was able to hack together bits of technology or programming code to do something clever and creative.

Current use: Someone who breaks into computer systems. This is a meaning that became popular with the media and the public after movies like (the original) War Games in the 1980's. The old school types often refer to these people as crackers. As in breakers of things not loonies.

The debate over these words has filled volumes. Where to begin.

I understand the distinction. Unfortunately in the ears of the public the war on this was lost years ago. When dealing with the press you can’t afford the time to make the distinction and fight the fight. There are other simple words that work well and capture the essence/motive - like Vandals and Criminals. A clever criminal is still a criminal.

2. On dealing with the press about hackers as in the good kind. The heroes of the computer revolution kind. Perhaps we need another word. It really would avoid confusion.

On the crackers who insist on calling themselves hackers. You are so misguided, screwed up, and wrong. If all information should be free - please post your credit card, medical history, and personal details on the Internet. And if you feel some perverse ownership of the word hacker - get over it. The creative folks had it first. Come to think of it, golfers have prior 0wn3rship.

To the creative guys who want to explore other peoples systems. Careful of the line in the sand. Even forgetting that the laws have changed on this over the last 30+ years. Think of the person sitting on the other side of the keyboard defending. They don’t care about your motives. You are breaking into their system. You are their enemy and a quite possibly a criminal. There is a saying that bits have no motives you must defend against them equally.

When I’ve had to use the term hacker in the ambiguous sense, I put it in quotes “hacker”. It is alas, a disputed word.

There is an official Quebec French word for hacker. It’s an old word and roughly means gadgeteer. I wish I could remember.

Ethical hacker is confusing on many levels. The term is correct because these folks are creative and not criminals. They break security with permission. It’s wrong in that it strengthens the connection with hacker=criminal.

There is an unofficial Quebec phrase for ethical hacker that roughly translated means pirates with permission. It was coined in a La Pressse article about 10-11 years ago.

Having been hacker (good sense) and an ethical hacker, I think I know of what I write.

Hat tip to Gordo for inspiring this post which started out as subblogging.

BTW see Hackers vs. Crackers and do watch the video. Now that's old school!

To Lisa Binsse wherever you are, perhaps you still have the article with the happy face pirate you photoshopped hacked over my laptop screen in the article. I'd love to know those words/phrases again.

Mouse Inflicted Injury

Anyone who has helped troubleshoot a personal computer operated by an impatient user will instinctively understand this term.

Some of the things I have learned from this experience are priceless. Others beg the question, why on Earth would they allow a program to do that anyway?

Devious thoughts are contagious ...

The other day I was caught in a fire drill during a visit to an office. The evacuation was smart and efficient but the return to the building was anything but. The elevators were slow and one was out of service. And for some unknown reason the stairwells were locked so you couldn't reenter and climb up. People tried all kinds of routes to bypass the very long lines and find a quicker way in.

It turns out there was a a single out of the way elevator to the underground parking lot. So when I joined a small group that tried that approach, I wasn't really surprised when a few people had beaten us to it and formed a small line.

As I waited in line more people came around the corner to the secret entrance, the surprised and amused looks on their faces when they saw the rest of us in front was priceless.

hybris !

Spotted recently in print ..

hybris: n. Excessive pride based solely on one's hybrid car.

Found references to this at the Phantom Professor Blog going back to 2005 and the The DailyCandy Lexicon XII: Words That Don't Exist but Should (also a book).

HOVlier than thou

Okay this is just stupid.

iP0wned

iP0wned is the act of surrendering (and paying a premium) to corporate lock-in in order to obtain the hottest" consumer electronics/services/products.

See also iLaugh

How to tell the competent from the incompetent in the lunatic fringe?

... The competent ground their Tin Foil hats.

The Perils of Distractibility

Ouch.

Trade-off Triangles

It seems there are many places where we can encounter trade-off triangles. This is the simple idea is that somethings are characterized by three desirable attributes. And that you may select for only two of the three.

For instance:

• Rennovations can be high quality, performed quickly, or inexpensive.
  
• Security systems can be high security, convienient, or inexpensive.

I'm sure I've seen other examples of this in the past.

The best inventions are found ...

... where the path of least resistance leads through creativity.

The condition known as "Compound Ignorance"

In which the afflicted doesn't know they don't know.

(An expression used on occasion by my father.)

What is the difference between theory and practice?

In theory, nothing.

(Paraphrased from C.Rous)

HOV math

A friend of mine who rides a motorcycle complained about the two person limit claiming single occupant motorcycles are high occupancy and should be allowed.

My counter examples:

• Small cars, like the SMART, are not much longer. Some sports cars like the Morgan and Lotus Super 7 are also not much longer. Should they be allowed with one person?
• Throughput is probably the real reason. The designers would have figured traffic flow based on the space needed to safely move two people. Since at 100km/h this is around 30m/s then any vehicle is going to use about 60m of roadway. Unless you're driving two bikes side by side, you are a HOV Hog.

HOV Hogs

Ontario recently implemented HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes on its major highways to help increase commuter throughput. These lanes have been widely acclaimed a success. HOVs are essentially a single lane controlled access lane for vehicles with two or more occupants that operates on an honour system. Like all good things, they are abused. There are two or three main types of HOV hogs.

Cheats (Brazen). Single occupant vehicles. These are routinely pulled over by the provincial police when they go through controlled access tunnels. Even with my limited use of them I almost always see a couple of these hogs pulled over inside the tunnel out of sight. Penalties include fines and (I've heard) demerit points on your licenses.

Cheats (Cowardly). People using dummies. Mannequins, baby dolls, blow-up dolls. Similar fate.

Cheats (Feigned Ignorance). People regularly darting across the heavy do-not-cross bars as if they are just using the passing lane. Similar demise, just harder to catch.

Autobahn wannabees. Those who think the HOVs are speed limit free. Waaay over the limit. Frequently a danger because there is no safe place for them to go. Dealt with in the usual way. May require other drivers to be more defensive.

Roadblocks. People within their rights but a danger nonetheless. Like the minivan this morning with four people running at 90km/h! Blissfully unaware of the cars backing up behind them. Many impatient and crowding the people caught behind this tortoise. Worse, the main lanes were running openly and faster. Cars were looking at going around. Thankfully none did.

Please folks, if you don't need to use the lanes, don't use them just because you can. Keep up with traffic, leave space, and allow it to flow. Don't race.

An Ending ... A friend gone home

This week I learned of a close friend's passing. Natural causes. Too soon. Not unexpected. The causal events being a shock nonetheless. It made me reflect on my life and his, as well as the various intersecting and divergent paths we took.

We met one autumn night in 1981 at a security user group. He was mid career, presenting and championing the underdog solution as an independent. He was quiet, convincing, and sure of his facts. I was at the start of my career, beginning in security and eager to get involved with other like minded people. Afterwards, at the pub, we had the opportunity to speak. We covered important topics like governance, technical vulnerabilities, single malt scotch, and Armagnac.

We must have managed to make an impression on each other for we continued to cross paths over the years. Often at events or in pubs. We watched the '87 crash unfold over a pint. He also introduced me to some of the most interesting people I know. They in turn led me to others.

We found synergies. Eventually we found ourselves working together officially; although, only for a surprisingly short three years. Afterwards, we continued to get together irregularly to stay in touch and discuss our field, lives, foibles, pet peeves, and paths.

The time pressures of family and career limited my opportunities to reconnect. Here is one path where we diverged. Where I chose the path of family. He did not. Recently, he confessed to me that it was a path he regretted not taking.

He was a man of many interests, knowledgeable, humorous, charming, and at times highly distractible. Here's to Colin Rous, a mentor and a friend gone home.

A beginning ....

procedure main(arglist)
write("Hello world! \n... Now what was I doing?")
end